1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image manipulation. In particular, although not exclusively, the invention relates to eye alignment in video.
2. Background Art
Non-verbal social cues play a crucial role in communication. The eyes in particular are important for communication and provide an indication to others where attention is focused. In some cultures, it is respectful not to look a dominant person in the eye, and in western culture a person can be judged badly if they do not make direct eye contact.
Non-verbal cues are often, however, distorted on video conferencing systems of the prior art, leading to misunderstandings or miscommunications.
In their simplest form, video conferencing systems include a pair of cameras and a pair of display screens. Each of the pair of cameras and display screens is directed at one of the users. The cameras are placed either beside or above the display screens in order to not block the screens, and modern laptops with video conferencing facilities often include an integrated camera that is permanently positioned above the display screen.
A disadvantage of such systems is that eye cues are distorted, as the user looks at an image of the other user on the display screen while being recorded from a second position. Accordingly, the users do not appear to be making direct eye contact. Alternatively, a user may appear to be making eye contact when not actually doing so.
Specialised hardware systems have been developed which reduce this problem, as illustrated by video conferencing system 100 of FIG. 1. The system 100 includes a display screen 105 and a camera 110. A beam splitter 115 is located between the user 120 and the camera 110, and is configured to reflect an image from the display screen 105 while allowing light from the user 120 to be received by the camera.
A disadvantage of systems such as the system 100 is that they are costly, fragile, and bulky and thus cannot be integrated into thin laptop screens, and do not work well when a focus of the user 120 is on a non-central part of the display screen 105.
Other similar forms of video conferencing systems include semi-transparent screens, wherein a camera is located behind the semi-transparent screen, and have similar disadvantages.